Mount Vernon - Circular Productions and the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce have joined forces to be hosts for the 2013 Amateur World Doubles Championship. The even is sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Association.

Registration is now open with only 216 slots available. Players from across the U.S. are expected to compete. They must be PDGA members and have an amateur status. Disc Golf Planet TV will provide a live internet broadcast of the event. The Executive Director of PDGA, Brian Graham, will be attending to help promote the sport.

“We anticipate to registration for the event to be sold out in the first 2-3 weeks,”Dee Houck with Circular Productions said. “We could fill a third course if it were available.”

The event will be conducted at the Selah Ranch north of Mount Vernon, Texas and has been set for March 22 through 24. The Lakeside course at Selah was recently voted by players as the top disc golf course in the world out of more than 5,000 courses according to dgcoursereview.com. Selah’s Creekside course was ranked in second place.

Players will begin arriving on Tuesday, March 19. Practice times will be available and a pro-shop will be open. Competition will begin on Saturday at 8 a.m. and will continue through Sunday afternoon. An awards ceremony will be conducted at 5 p.m.

Disc golf is recognized as one of the fastest growing sports in the world with an estimated 15 million people having played. Texas leads the nation in the number of courses and registered players. Schools and colleges now teach the sport as part of their physical education curriculum, and parks all over the U.S. now offer courses.

More than 1,000 spectators are expected at this free event. Numerous prizes will be made available to the public, including a free airline ticket in the continental U.S. Visitors can watch the competition from designated viewing areas or participate in planned activities. Pro-clinics, disc golf putting games, a hole-in-one contest, kid games, as well as food and merchandise vendors will be available.

Of course, with any big event, sponsors and volunteers are being sought. Sponsorship packages ranging from $150 to $2,000 are available. Volunteers to help “spot”along the courses, plus a variety of other tasks, are needed.

Selah Ranch debuted their disc golf courses in August 2011. They were created by John Houck, widely recognized as the world’s premier course designer. Mr. Houck is from Austin and is a former Commissioner of the Professional Disc Golf Association, a member of the Disc Golf Hall of Fame, a two-time World Champion in freestyle frisbee, and the owner of HouckDesign.com. Since the courses opened, more than 1,000 different players from 35 states and Canada have visited.